We Did It Together
by jezzybellejones
Summary: KitLana story. My take on how I would have wrapped the show up if my shipper heart controlled everything. "It was the happiest time of my life." Lana answered as the interviewer looked on in curiosity. "Seeing Kit Walker again in that bookstore changed everything… for the better."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I shipped Kit and Lana so hard this season. I know… I know… Lezbehonest… but I can't help myself. This story is how everything would have played out in my mind. Don't own em. This story is just for enjoyment and I won't profit from it so DON'T SUE ME RYAN MURPHY. Enjoy! Read and Review if you want to make me smile **

"It was the happiest time of my life." Lana answered as the interviewer looked on in curiosity. "Seeing Kit Walker again in that bookstore changed everything… for the better." As Lana's eyes fell to the hands in her lap, her mind began to wander. The slightest hint of a smile graced her still plump lips as she began to speak again. "I hadn't seen Kit in four or five years, and I didn't even know that I missed him until I glanced up and saw him standing there…."

Lana put the car into park and glanced at the house to her left. Ever since he had come to see her at her book signing, Kit had been on her mind. She had snuck back into Briar Cliff so that the world could see what an awful place it really was and so that she could free Sister Jude from the festering abyss. She'd managed to get the place shut down, but she hadn't been completely successful… and Kit deserved to know the truth.

It hadn't been hard to track Kit down, but the secrets that she carried in her heart, mind, and in the back seat of the car wouldn't be easy to reveal. She glanced in the rear view mirror at her son in his car seat. She hadn't regretted keeping him at all; he might have been Oliver's son, but he was hers too, and she couldn't let anyone else raise him. He needed his mother. She hoped that Kit would be as understanding when she revealed to him that she had lied about her son dying at birth in her book, but she had done it to protect Johnny. Johnny was a quiet little boy, and she worried about him more than she'd like to admit. She opened her car door and got out to get her son. Taking his hand, she led him up the walk. "Are you ready, Johnny? We're going to see an old friend of mine."

Kit heard a car pull up. Thomas and Julia were led into the other room by their Nana as he walked over to the door. He looked out and his heart leapt to his throat. "Ms. Winters." Kit said with a soft smile playing on his lips. "Who's this, and what brings ya two out to my neck of the woods?"

"It's Lana, Kit, LANA." Leaning in and whispering in his ear, she continued, "I'll explain more later." Stepping away, she gestured to the boy beside her. "Kit, this is my son, Johnny. Johnny, this is my old friend, Kit Walker. We're here because I have something that I need to tell you ... do you mind if we come in?"

Kit ushered mother and son inside. As they came through the door, his own two children and their Nana came into the room and stopped in surprise. Kit saw the color drain out of Lana's face and asked Thomas and Julia to take Johnny into the other room to play with their Nana, who waved at Lana before leading the kids away. "I guess you're not the only one with news Lana. Have a seat and we can talk." Kit said patting her arm soothingly.

Lana felt light headed. "I don't understand, Kit. This is what I came to tell you. When I snuck back into Briar Cliff looking for Jude in particular I found that they had changed her name to Betty Drake and that she had died... how can she be here?"

"After Alma passed I would come and see Jude." Kit answered. "The place was even worse since we left; it was a goddamn hell hole. I literally walked out of there with her and no one said a thing to me. She is still adjusting to life on the outside and away from the church, but she is getting better. The kids help a lot with her; they call her Nana, and I've never seen any of them so happy. Between work at the garage and being a single father, it's nice to have someone here I can trust with the kids, ya know?"

"I can understand that completely." Lana answered, her voice trailing off. "Johnny stays with a sitter a lot of the time, and I wish I had more time to devote to being a better mother to him, but I work a lot and it's difficult. I'm so glad that you got her out of that place. Nobody deserves to be there; I know she did a lot of horrible things, but she didn't deserve to be there either. I'm just glad that it's shut down for good. I'm so relieved, Kit, I really am." She placed a hand on his arm and looked up into his chocolate colored eyes; she could have sworn she felt a bolt of electricity surge through them as he continued the conversation.

"Thanks, getting it shut down was all your amazing doing. It was so brave and ballsy of you to sneak in there and film the place for what it was." Kit said with a smile before his face took on a more serious tone. "I just didn't wanna see her alone in there anymore…" His voice cracking, he glanced into the other room where Thomas, Julia, Johnny, and Judy were all having a ball. "The kids don't have any playmates besides their Nana right now. Most places look down their noses at them so it's nice to see them have a nice time with someone new for a change. Feel free to come by any time. I have missed spending time with you Lana. You're the only one besides Jude I can really talk to about anything that happened to me."

Lana's breath caught in her throat. "It's hard to think about those days and everything that Oliver did to me. The reason I almost didn't keep my son was because I was afraid that every time I saw him I'd just see Oliver, but after he was born, he was allergic to formula and the nurse asked me to let him suckle for a little bit to calm him down. When I looked into his face, I didn't see Oliver; all I saw was my baby. I said he died in the book to protect him. I didn't want anyone to come after him knowing that he's the son of Bloody Face. He doesn't know about it either; he just knows that he doesn't have a daddy." She nervously tugged at her ear lobe and stared at the wall in front of her. "I know what it's like to feel all alone, Kit. I really do. I never felt lonelier than the time I spent at Briar Cliff and the time that Oliver held me captive, but it's pretty rough trying to raise that boy by myself… and I think he's lonely, too, and I know he has questions."

"Well, his father is burning in hell and is gone for good." Kit said taking her hand. "He is your son and will be welcome in my home anytime. Now enough of the sad talk …tell me what your new job is like? I watch your show all the time with Judy. We get a kick out of "seeing how much you changed", as Jude puts it."

Lana giggled. "That sounds about like her."

They talked for hours and before either of them knew it, it was five pm. Kit asked them to stay for dinner, which led to them staying another three hours. By the time Lana and Johnny were in their car, Kit felt something had changed between them once again. He felt like the strong and dedicated yet kind and caring Lana that he had known in Briar Cliff back. He realized that he had missed her. They made a promise to see each other soon, and Kit could honestly say he was looking forward to something for the first time since he had lost Alma and Grace.

Lana sighed as she pulled away from Kit's home. It had been the best day that she'd had in she couldn't remember how long. More importantly, her son had enjoyed himself too. She'd come to Kit's house every day if it meant that she could see her baby smiling and playing with Thomas and Julia. And Judy.. she was such a good grandmotherly figure to those children... Johnny needed somebody like her in his life. She thought of what a devoted and good father Kit was; Johnny needed a daddy. Kit was the only man she was certain that she could ever love. Everything that had happened with Wendy had turned her off of women, and men didn't pique her interest either... but Kit was different. They'd suffered and survived the place together, and because of that, they'd always share a bond like no other. She doubted that he'd ever see her as more than a friend, though.

Had he been glad to see her? She smiled to herself as she realized that she was sure that he had enjoyed their visit as well. Maybe… just maybe… they could have a future. Whether they were just friends or something more eventually, she knew that she'd do anything to keep Kit and his family in their lives forever.


	2. Chapter 2

***A/N Here's chapter two, y'all. Is it OOC? That's debatable. Do I care? Not at all. Hope you like it! And if you do, tell me about it! Enjoy!**

Kit nervously sat on the park bench and glanced at his watch. Lana was supposed to be here with Johnny by 12:30 for a play date, but it was now going on 1:00. He hoped that something hadn't happened to hold them up, and in the back of his mind he worried that she had gotten too busy with whatever project it was that she happened to be working on at the moment and forgotten all about them. Surely, that wasn't the case was it? They had grown so close the last few months and Thomas, Julia, and Johnny had grown to be the best of friends. Lana may have forgone this visit a few years ago when her book had first been published, but devoting her time to her son had changed her back into the woman he had always known. He briefly considered going to the nearest pay phone to call his house and ask Judy, who was having some private Nana time, if Lana had called, but decided to wait it out. Yes, they would be here; he was sure of it.

Lana nervously tapped the steering wheel and glanced at the clock on the dashboard. She and Johnny were running nearly half an hour late in meeting Kit, Thomas, and Julia, and she felt horrible. A combination of too much primping in front of the mirror before leaving and congested traffic had held up their arrival. Lana had always been a woman who put a lot of effort into her appearance, but she had discovered recently (and was having difficulty admitting it even to herself) that she took a little more time when she was going to be seeing Kit. She glanced in the rear view mirror at her son and saw that he was getting antsy and restless, and she felt the same way. She thought about how much it annoyed her when people were less than punctual, but she didn't think that Kit was annoyed with her; he was probably worried, and she couldn't have that.

"Almost there, punkin." Lana said to Johnny. "It won't be too much longer."

"I hope not, Mom." He answered. "This is BORING. I hate traffic."

Lana felt a smile spreading across her lips. "Me too, baby. ME TOO."

Finally, the park that they had agreed to meet at came into view and Lana parked her vehicle in the first available spot she saw. She helped Johnny out of the back seat, and crinkled her nose up at him in amusement as he grabbed her hand and all but dragged her in the direction of the swing sets that he and Thomas and Julia loved to play on.

"Easy there, son." She chided with a tinkling laugh. "You're gonna pull my arm out of socket!"

"Well…" Johnny huffed. "YOU made us late!"

Lana suppressed a giggle. "How did I make us late? We were stuck in traffic."

"You were in your bathroom putting makeup on FOREVER, Mom." He replied, rolling his eyes.

Lana gulped. She didn't think Johnny paid attention to the amount of time she spent in the bathroom. She hoped he'd keep that little tidbit of information to himself.

"I wasn't in there THAT long, Johnny. It was the traffic that made us late." She answered.

"Yeah sure, Mom." Johnny said quickly before dropping her hand and running in the direction of his friends. "Thomas! Julia! I'm FINALLY here! My mom made us late!"

Lana rolled her eyes at her silly and blunt son and slowly made her way to the park bench that Kit was occupying as he waited for her. He stood up to greet her as she got closer to him and opened his arms to her, which she happily walked into for a hug. Her mind briefly drifted back to Briar Cliff and how Kit had always given her the best hugs. This hug was reminiscent of those days; she could have sworn his eyes had lit up when he saw her, just like they had when they were both committed in that hellish asylum.

"Hello, darlin'." Lana said pulling away from his embrace to study his face. "Sorry I'm late… we got held up in traffic."

"That's alright, Lana." Kit said with a smile. "I was starting to get a little worried; it's not like you to be late."

"I really try not to be." Lana answered as she sat down and lit a cigarette. "But when you're a working single mom it happens from time to time, but you know how it is, don't you?"

"All too well." Kit nodded in agreement as he joined her on the bench and pulled his own cigarette out of his pocket and fired it up.

"Where's Judy?" Lana asked looking around. "Johnny was looking forward to seeing Nana."

"She decided to stay home and have some Nana time." Kit replied. "She doesn't get it very often, and I couldn't deny her of it."

"Poor Jude." Lana answered. "She's so great with our kids, but she deserves a break. I hope she's taking FULL advantage of her peace and quiet. My son is my whole life, but I can't remember the last time I had a day just to myself… it must be nice."

"Me either." Kit agreed. "I love my kids more than anything, but it'd be great to just get away for even two hours."

Lana watched lovingly as Johnny, Thomas, and Julia raced from the swing sets to the merry- go- round.

"I like to think of these little play dates of ours as mini-vacations." She said turning to Kit. "It's the only chance I get to relax and talk to another adult that isn't hounding me about deadlines or the topic of my next expose'." Her voice trailed off. "And they're so good for Johnny; he's come completely out of his shell since he started playing with Thomas and Julia… he's like a different kid. And Judy… he loves her like no other. She's the only grandma that he'll ever have. I'm so glad I came clean to you about keeping him. You've changed us for the better. "

As she felt tears well up in her eyes, Kit reached over and gently took her hand, massaging the smooth skin on top with his thumb.

"I'm glad you told me too." He said. "And I'm glad you found me again. Nobody else could ever understand the hell that we went through when we were locked up in Briar Cliff, and most people have no idea how hard it is to raise kids all alone… but we've got each other."

Lana gave him her sweetest smile and bravely laid her dark head on his shoulder as they watched their happy children playing.

"Thank God for that." She said, barely above a whisper.

Kit found himself smiling into Lana's hair. "Yeah… thank God."


	3. Chapter 3

Lana glanced in the mirror quickly and smoothed her hand over her hair. She and Johnny had asked kit, the kids, and Jude to come over and swim. She was excited for Johnny because he loved spending time with his friends, but like his mother he had developed a habit of pointing out the obvious. She hoped he wouldn't say anything out loud about how much time she spent primping.

Kit looked around the front of Lana's posh house and let out a low whistle. Jude was smirking and mumbling to the kids that their new step mom was loaded and Kit rolled his eyes. Jude and the kids had taken to saying they would be married and it was just a matter of time. He sighed and rubbed his temples. Before he could say anything Lana opened the door and he stood there in shock at her beauty. Damned if she wasn't the prettiest thing he had ever seen.

Lana glanced out the window and grinned when she saw that Kit and the crew had arrived. "Johnny! They're here!" She yelled and giggled when she heard her son go barreling towards the front door like a herd of buffalo. He threw it open and yelled "Come in! Come in". Lana felt her face redden when she realized that Kit would be seeing her in a bathing suit and thought about just leaving her cover up on but she was sure Johnny would complain. They entered the house and she greeted them warmly. "You all follow me. We'll head on out back to the pool."

Jude lead by Johnny followed the children outside while Kit stood by and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "You look really..um-nice, and the house is nice too..." He said trying not to leer at his friend. He recently started noticing her as an actual woman and it was doing things to him that would make them both uncomfortable (or so he thought). "The house though, doesn't seem like you, or at least the Lana that Jude, the kids and I know..." He said finally staring into her eyes. He gave her a small smile and followed the kids outside. He took off his shirt as he came outside and slung his flip flops off before diving into the pool and smiling as everyone laughed and clapped for him.

Lana gulped as Kit removed his shirt and dove in the pool. She composed herself enough to clap with everyone else. Cautiously she stepped down into the pool and shrieked as she felt cold water splash her in the face. "Johnny! That wasn't very NICE." She squealed, admonishing her son with a grin. He and everyone else laughed and went on. Her eyes met Kit's and she felt her stomach flutter.

Kit smiled and lifted himself from the pool and waltzed over to Lana. Before she could react, he scooped her up into his arms and threw them both in the pool. They both yelped and came up sputtering. Kit winked at her; they were inches apart and a large part of Kit's brain was screaming that he should man up and kiss the amazingly sexy woman in front of him. If not for the kids giggling and Jude yelling at them to marry and get a room they just may have.

Lana felt the eyes of Jude and the children burning into her and kit. They had all gotten a kick out of him soaking her. She playfully slapped at his shoulder and teased him. "Thanks a lot! You almost DROWNED me." She pretended to pout then turned away only to quickly turn around and splash him. "SPLASH FIGHT!" The kids yelled as they joined in. Jude considered commenting on how sweet they all looked but kept her mouth shut.

Kit smiled and went and grabbed all three kids hugging and tickling them all. He kissed all their heads and whispered that they would take Lana down in a moment but he needed their help. They quickly hatched a plan and as the kids distracted her, Kit swam behind her and lifted her into the air, throwing her into the air and catching her. The kids all demanded turns as Lana was busy trying to dunk Kit.

Lana unsuccessfully tried to dunk Kit and pretended to scowl. She quickly got out of the way of the dunking and swam to the pools ladder and climbed out. She ran a towel through her hair and settled into a lounge chair to get some sun and watch them all play. Kit was amazing with all the kids including her son and she knew how much Johnny liked him. She noticed the look on Jude's face and thought that she must be thinking about what a perfect family they looked like... At least that was what Lana was thinking and hoped someone else thought it too.

Kit watched Lana and Jude have their weird silent private conversations and smiled. Johnny was in his arms and he kissed the boys head. Johnny looked up at him and sighed. He heard the child call him Daddy. Kit looked at the boy with a small smile. "I may not be your father by blood but I will be a father figure for you as long as you need it Johnny. You're like another son to me." He said ruffling the boys head and launching him to his children. He winked at the ladies and hopped out of the pool and lay down on a chair next to Jude smiling from ear to ear.

Lana felt tears well up in her eyes as she heard Kit and Johnny's conversation. She was glad she was wearing sunglasses so no one else saw her tears. If only Kit felt the same way about her as she felt about him then Johnny could have the best daddy in the world. Considering the biological father that he unfortunately had, Johnny deserved a good daddy. Before she got too emotional, Lana got up and excused herself to the house to get a pitcher of lemonade.

Kit followed Lana inside to see if she needed help. He heard her sob as he walked into the kitchen. He went to her slowly saying her name softly. He hugged her and asked what was wrong trying desperately to not think about how even with chlorine on her she still smelled like lilac and vanilla and it drove him wild. She was so soft and beautiful but she needed a friend now and a friend he would be.

Lana laid her head on Kit's shoulder and sobbed. "I feel like I've really messed Johnny's life up. I should have given him up for adoption so he would have two loving parents that could give him all the attention he needs. I stay so busy that I feel like I let him down and he deserves better than me. He deserves better than the father he had too, and I'd give anything if anyone else were his father. I fail as a mother."

"You are an amazing mother, Lana. Never doubt that. I will always be here for you and Johnny no matter what. I can and will always be a father to him; he is a great kid who makes my kids happy. They consider him a brother and that is enough for me. No matter what, if you find someone or not, you will always have me." He said stroking her back and hair. She gave him a soft smile and he kissed her forehead. "Now where is that lemonade? I'm parched."

"Thank you, Kit. That means the world to me. Johnny and I are lucky to have you in our lives. I don't know what we'd do without you." She sat the lemonade on the tray and handed it to kit. "Here, let's go back outside. We need to make sure the kids haven't drowned Nana... Or that she hasn't drowned them for splashing her. Johnny has been known to use the garden hose on occasion."

Kit laughed and ran outside calling to the kids to spray their Nana harder. He picked Jude up into his arms as she called him a scoundrel. He smiled and led the kids around the pool with Jude over his shoulder. "What shall we do with her my minions?" He asked smirking and winking at Lana.

"I think we should all take a little rest and drink some lemonade." Lana answered coming to Jude's rescue. "Get a move on!" The kids all looked at each other and groaned. "BUT MOOOO-OOOOM." Lana grinned. "Don't but mom me! Hit it!" Johnny, Thomas, and Julia all rolled their eyes and begrudgingly got out of the pool. They ran over to the table and grabbed their lemonade and started to chug but sipped instead when Lana gave them a menacing mommy look.

Kit laughed and set Jude down next to him and pulled Lana down into a chair with him. "Alright kids you need to eat and then maybe we can all watch a movie." He said as Lana hit him playfully. "Now thank Lana for the lemonade and-" before he could say anything else they heard her phone ring. She sprinted off to get the phone and he sighed. Jude muttered that he should man up and just ask her out. When Lana came out, the kids repeated what their Nana had said and Kit quickly stuffed cookies in all their mouths and gave a look to Jude that said stuff it.

"What was that?" Lana asked as she joined them back on the patio.

"Nana said Kit should just ask you out, mom." Johnny answered nonchalantly. Lana's eyes widened.

"Now, Johnny." She said. "You know Nana's sense of humor."

Johnny shrugged and Jude muttered under her breath "Wasn't joking that time." Lana's eyes met Kit's for a moment before she averted them to the ground and blushed.

"Silly Nana." Lana said, trying to distract the children from the statement. "Now… what do you all say to a pizza? I'll go order us one."

"Yayyyyyy!" The children all screamed.

Lana quickly headed back into the house. Things were getting WAY too awkward. Something had to give. She hoped that she and Kit would get some time alone before the night was over. They had a lot to discuss.


	4. Chapter 4

***A/N: Sorry I've taken so long to update, but I've just been sidetracked with other things. Thanks so much for reading **** Enjoy! **

"Where ya goin', mom?" Johnny asked as he sauntered into Lana's bathroom as she put the finishing touches on her face.

"I have a business dinner tonight, Johnny." She said as she perfected her eyebrows.

"AGAIN, Mom?" Johnny whined. "You had a business dinner LAST night."

"I'm sorry that I've had to be gone so much, pumpkin, but my new book will be published soon. They're already talking about turning it into a movie. If that happens, our lives will change forever. We can get out of this place and move somewhere exciting. Wouldn't that be fun?" She asked as she ruffled his hair and then brought her hand down to caress his soft cheek.

She often thought that she should have broken her rusty chains and ran away before Johnny was born, but relocating while she was alone and pregnant and still broken from her experiences hadn't been ideal. She'd meant to take him anywhere else so their lives could be more normal; this Godforsaken town harbored far too many bad memories… Oliver… Wendy… Briar cliff… but something had always held her there. She'd always been so busy working and raising her son that relocating elsewhere had never fit into her time table. She was determined to get away, though, and one way or another she would.

Much to Lana's surprise, Johnny looked a little crestfallen at the prospects of moving away. He glanced at his shoes and didn't immediately answer his mother's query.

"Johnny?" Lana began. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think moving somewhere else would be much fun." He grumbled.

"You don't?" Lana asked.

"Nope." He answered, still not looking his mother in the face.

"Why not?" Lana continued.

Lana noticed Johnny biting his lip in nervous contemplation which was a habit she was proud to say that he had inherited from her and NOT his father. Finally, he began to answer her question.

"Because… this is our house. I like my room. I like the pool." He said, whining.

Lana kneeled down to eye level with Johnny and stroked his face again.

"We can get an even bigger house with an even bigger pool… maybe one with a slide… are you SURE those are the only reasons you want to stay?"

Johnny nervously averted his eyes to the side and shook his head.

"No?" Lana asked. "Why else then?"

After deeply inhaling a breath and exasperatedly letting it out, Johnny finally mumbled out an answer.

"Cause, Mom… Nana is here, and Thomas and Julia… and Kit."

It was Lana's turn to avert her glance away from her son. Kit was one of the reasons she wanted to move away; the closer they grew together, the more nervous she became. She had lost or driven away every one that she had ever loved. She felt like the living embodiment of Shachath. She'd been so close to giving into the dark angel after Oliver had raped her, and death and sorrow just seemed to follow her like a cloud so darkly swollen that it could burst into a downpour at any second. She didn't want that to happen to him. She didn't want that to happen to Thomas or Julia or Judy either. Lana had decided that she cared for them all too much to let that happen; leaving was all that she could do not to destroy them.

"I know how much you love Nana and Thomas and Julia, baby, but we can still come back and visit them." She said, hoping to pacify her son.

"Well, what about Kit, mom?" Johnny asked.

"Of course Kit, too, Johnny. We'll see them all a lot. Don't you want to see what else we can see and do in the world, and not just in this little town?" She asked more enthusiastically than she felt, thinking it might coax her son to her side.

Johnny, being the precocious boy he had grown into, was not amused.

"Can't we just go on vacation?" He asked dryly.

"Touché' Mister Smarty." Lana said as a sheepish grin spread across her plump lips. "We can talk more about this later. Nana will be here soon to stay with you."

Johnny perked up at the prospect of staying with Judy for the night. "Nana is coming? Not Lucy?"

Lana pulled her son into a tight embrace. "Nope. Lucy isn't coming; she had plans for the night. Looks like it'll be you and Nana."

Johnny pressed his face into her cheek and Lana felt him smile and heard him quietly begin to giggle into her ear.

"When Nana is here, sometimes we move all the stuff in the living room and have a big dance party. She thinks she's really good but she isn't. I don't tell her that though." Johnny snickered.

"That's good of you, son." Lana said, trying not to burst into laughter herself.

Johnny pulled back from his mother and bit his lip again.

"She told me not to tell you, but sometimes we make s'mores and drink hot chocolate before bed time."

Lana feigned anger and began to tickle her son's tummy as he slipped to the floor giggling.

"No wonder you're so rotten, then." She said as she continued tickling and Johnny laughed harder. "Nana feeds you too much sugar and its gone bad!"

Johnny was now giggling so hard that he almost couldn't breathe. "Quit mom…. QUITTTTT! I promise not to do it anymore." He said as he crossed his fingers behind his back.

"Yeah I just bet you meant that." She teased as she relented from her tickling and helped her son up out of the floor. "Why don't you run into the living room and wait for Nana? I'll be done here in just a minute."

Johnny kept quiet but smiled brightly at Lana. Before he exited the bathroom, he slipped a quick tickle across her stomach and she pretended to giggle at his actions to appease him. As he walked towards the living room, it occurred to him to mention to Nana when she got there that his mom wanted to move away. If anybody could stop her from making them move, it was his Nana. She got stuff done, and he knew that Lana listened to her advice.

Meanwhile, Lana sighed as she gave herself a quick check in the mirror. Johnny sure did love Judy, and she knew that Judy loved him, too. She hated to take them away from each other, but she knew that dark cloud wasn't too far behind. If she got any more comfortable with her new pseudo family, disaster was sure to be imminent, and if it took leaving to keep disaster away, then that was just the choice she'd have to make.


	5. Chapter 5

"Nana?" Johnny asked Judy as she tucked him into bed that night after a long evening of Candy Land (childish as it was, she was the queen of it after all), dancing, and cookie baking. "You know everything. And there's something I really want to know."

Judy stroked his head and pulled her legs up on the bed to settle in beside him. "Well, I don't know everything, but I know most things, so what is this thing that you really want to know, Johnny?"

Johnny contemplated the question for a minute longer; it had been burning in his memory for as long as he could remember. He wasn't sure that he'd ever get an answer from his mom, but one thing he knew about his Nana was that she never lied about anything. He recalled that Lana had once said that Nana was very, very, blunt, and he made a mental note to remember that word. He wanted to be able to speak as nicely as his mom some day. His mind was beginning to drift, and if the question was ever going to be asked, now was the time.

"Why don't I have a daddy?" He finally blurted out.

With much self control, Judy managed to keep herself from wincing. She really did not think it her place to divulge to Johnny the truth about his father, but the kid had a right to know. She definitely wasn't one for sugar coating, either. This was a conversation that needed to be had with Lana.

"Johnny… some children just don't have fathers. Thomas and Julia don't have mothers. I grew up without a dad, too. It's not fair, but it just happens that way for some kids."

Johnny gave her one of his patented eye narrows. When he looked at her like that, all Judy saw was Lana's pluck.

"But why don't I have one, Nana? I don't want to know why some kids don't have dads, I want to know why JOHNNY doesn't have a dad." He said with a huff.

"That's a question you'll have to ask your mother, Johnny. Nana can't answer that." Judy finally answered.

"I've asked her before, Nana." Johnny continued. "But she told me the same thing that you told me… that some kids just don't have them. I'm not stupid! I know there's a reason."

Judy bit her lip to keep from laughing. "I know you aren't stupid, honey. I'm sure if you ask her again, your mom will have an answer for you."

"You really think so?" He asked, looking at Judy with wide brown eyes.

"I really think so. Now… close your eyes and get cozy; it's late." She answered.

Johnny gave her a smile and closed his eyes to appease her, but he didn't want her to leave just yet. Nana would do anything for him, and he knew she'd stay if he asked.

"Nana…" he said as she got to the doorway. "Will you lay with me till I fall asleep?"

Judy couldn't help but smile at him. She could never deny Johnny or Thomas or Julia anything, so without a word, she climbed back into his bed with him.

"Nana?" He began again. "Do you really think I'll have to move away?"

Judy had not been happy when Johnny had revealed Lana's relocation plans earlier. She couldn't let him know how much it had bothered her, so instead, she patted his hand. "Well that's up to your mom. I sure don't want you to."

Johnny shook his head. "Me either."

Judy leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll have a talk with mom, okay?"

Johnny nodded his head yes, and soon he was snoozing and Judy's mind began to wander. Lana would be home soon, and they needed to have a little talk about a few things.

Forty five minutes later, Judy heard Lana's key in the front door. She pulled herself up from the couch where she had sat watching the evening news to go meet her in the front hall.

Lana slipped in the door, and as she was turning around from closing it, she gasped.

"You scared me, Judy." She said, clutching her chest.

"Did you have a nice dinner?" Judy asked nonchalantly.

"Oh yes, it was fine." Lana answered. "Big things are coming my way."

"That book that's been selling so well?" Judy asked.

"Yes." Lana replied. "It's going to be optioned for a film."

"Well isn't that dandy?" Judy asked. "I suppose you'll have to spend a lot of time out in California then."

Lana bit her lip. She wondered how much Johnny had told her about moving away. From the sound of Judy's tone, the cat was out of the bag.

"Yes, I think so." Lana answered quickly. "They want me to do some consulting on the film, and I think a change of scenery could do Johnny and me some good."

"He's happy here, Lana." Judy replied.

"He's happier than he WAS." Lana insisted. "But we're still haunted by demons from the past here. I think we need a fresh start."

Judy's face showed no expression. "That's another thing."

Lana's eyes grew wide. "What do you MEAN another thing?"

"He asked me why he doesn't have a dad tonight." Judy answered.

"He asks me that all the time." Lana said, with a nervous laugh. "I just tell him that some kids just don't have dads."

"That's what I told him, too." Judy replied. "But he wasn't satisfied. He wants to know, Lana. He deserves to know."

Lana brought her hand to her forehead. Dealing with telling her son about Oliver's legacy was not something that she wanted to face. She had always known that the day would come eventually, but she just didn't want to face it while he was still so young.

"You don't have to tell him every gory detail, Lana." Judy continued. "Give him the kindest version you can. Someday, he'll know the whole truth. For now, just give him enough to satisfy him."

Lana sighed. "I guess. He does deserve to know. What do I tell him though?"

"I've been thinking about that." Judy answered. "Tell him that his daddy wasn't very nice to you or other people and that you decided that Johnny didn't need a daddy that doesn't know how to be nice."

"Think that will satisfy him?" Lana asked.

"Hopefully." Judy replied.

Lana sighed again. She hoped that her son would accept Judy's answer as gospel, at least for now. She turned to Judy and pulled her into an embrace.

"Thank you Judy… for everything. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Anytime." Judy said with a smile as she pulled away. "Just remember that when you think about taking my baby clear across the country."

"Oh, a guilt trip. That's typical." Lana replied with a smirk.

"Is it working?" Judy asked as she slipped her shoes on to leave.

Lana rolled her eyes then narrowed them. "We'll see." She called after Judy as she slipped out the front door.

After Judy made her exit, Lana meandered into the living room and sat down on the sofa. She had a lot to consider; was moving really worth uprooting Johnny from the life he had grown accustomed to? Was it really the time to tell Johnny about Oliver? Would he be satisfied with the extremely watered down answer that Judy had come up with? Tonight would probably be a sleepless one.


End file.
